Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) has announced older person’s bus pass travel time extension will revert to the previous hours of 9am to 4am from today.
The temporary 24-hour concessionary travel for holders of an older person’s bus pass was introduced as a pandemic measure to allow convenient and safer travel for pass holders on March 20, 2020 during the height of lockdown and movement restrictions. The measure was taken to support older people to be able travel earlier in the day when many supermarkets were offering dedicated early morning shopping slots due to shortages.
This week, thousands of pupils go back to school. As has been recently reported, younger people are more likely to carry Covid with few or no symptoms, while older people are at higher risk from the virus.
A BHCC spokesperson said: ‘We have supported the return to school with increased capacity and funding for dedicated school bus services. Despite this, many pupils still need to use the commercial bus routes to get to school for 9am.
‘One of the council’s key priorities is to protect the health of our most vulnerable residents from Covid-19. Reverting the hours for the 24-hour concessionary travel to holders of an older person’s bus pass is designed to reduce the number of older and younger age groups mixing in the busy morning commute time.’
The change has been shared in advance through posters on buses and local bus companies’ messaging to passengers.
Those with an older person’s bus pass can still travel on city buses between 9am and 4am on weekdays and all day on weekends and Bank Holidays.
Twenty-four hour travel remains for Brighton & Hove disabled person’s pass holders, as was agreed in February.
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